Technological change is rapidly taking place in the telecommunications field with the introduction of optical fibers which can carry larger quantities of information with a substantial reduction in physical size of the components involved which result in substantial cost reduction. In addition, optical fibers generate little radiation during signal transmission thereby having little or no impact on the environment in which they extend.
With the use of light transmission of the signals, optical switching is essential for controlling the transmitted signals. Mechanical switches have been widely employed but suffer certain disadvantages including moving parts which are subject to wear as well as high-operating voltages. Accordingly, liquid crystal switches having no moving parts have been developed which suffer the disadvantage of being expensive and difficult to mass produce. In addition, internal cross talk and signal loss due to light scattering and optical path inaccuracies limit the applicability of such switches for use in optical telecommunications systems.